A dark, gory science fantasy novel following Pheonix, Ascended of Justice, from birth to fomenting a rebellion that aims to take down 'the balance,' the metacosmic ideology which claims evil to be a part of the natural order.
Are you sick of a very small minority of deeply-divorced-from-reality people making the decisions for the rest of us? So are we! We can't fix it, but can we offer you some catharsis in these trying times?
The Fractured Balance and its main character, Pheonix, are our reaction to the injustices we’ve either experienced or witnessed. And, gods know, we could all use a little wish fulfillment right now.
If you like the Dark Elf Trilogy, the Foundation Trilogy, Dune, or the original Final Fantasy 7, we invite you to stand with Pheonix! Back this campaign to support our dark, gory, and philosophical science fantasy novel set in a universe we Prime Speakers have been carefully and obsessively crafting for almost two decades.
When emotionless, immortal genetic experiment Pheonix escapes the slavers’ arena and arrives in the utopian elven city of Terelath, he learns the metacosm is governed by an ideology known as ‘the balance,’ which claims the kind of evil Pheonix experienced while enslaved to be a tolerable part of the natural order.
Unbeknownst to him, Pheonix is the long-awaited Ascended of Justice, and those drawn to Justice quickly gather around him. With their help, he hones his innate abilities and sets out to investigate the covert system supporting ‘the balance.’
As Pheonix begins to uncover that the metacosm’s governing bodies are chained to injustice at the core, he and his newfound allies vow to excise the corruption … even if it means all-out war.
The Fractured Balance is the second book in the ongoing Metacosm Chronicles.
Our introductory novel, Everdark, follows Redd, psionic teenager with PTSD, as she escapes from abusive parents and ends up entangled in an intergalactic war -- while also fighting her own mind. We self-funded Everdark a year ago, but it was a huge stretch on us as disabled indie creators, so when we heard about Booktopia while finalizing The Fractured Balance, we were ecstatic!
The Fractured Balance is technically a side-stepped prequel, as it starts with Pheonix’s birth and ends shortly before the events of Everdark. The reason we chose to publish Everdark first is simple: Redd is uninitiated – meaning she comes from a planet unconnected to the greater metacosmic societies, and so readers will be learning with her on even footing -- though you could easily start with either book. (And hey, if you want both, we've got that too!)
If you like what you see here and what we’ve already done, rest assured that we have plenty more coming! We have two more books fully written and awaiting editing, and many, many more planned. We are also developing the stories, systems, and concept art for a TTRPG and at least one visual novel. If the stars align, we will have BackerKit campaigns up for those in the next few years. But it starts here!
Spun into existence by the Creator, this universe-and-all-its-possibilities-and-echoes is managed by the Ascended (‘gods’ but not really). Not much is known about either the Creator or the structure it put in place to support the metacosm. The elves, one of the oldest and most knowledgeable species, claim that the Creator intentionally crafted ‘evil’ as a natural part of said structure, and therefore it is a legitimate identity and way of living. This ideology is known as the balance, and its crux states that non-evil must learn to mitigate and moderate evil in order to live in harmony with it. The balance dictates policy all across the metacosm.
It takes a lot to run a metacosm. The main governmental bodies of non-evil we will meet in The Fractured Balance are the Elven Council, the Chosen of the Obelisk of Time (a Creator artifact who ostensibly gets its orders directly from the Creator), the Rangers (a militant space-faring organization with a long and storied combat history), the Universal Accord (a mediator organization, the alliance of all initiated cultures, species, and planets across the metacosm). Others we won’t discuss much include the Congress of Mages and the merchant families.
The Fractured Balance follows Pheonix through several locations: Archaic Earth, a hominin-dominated planet of extremely high magic; Terelath, bustling main city on the beautiful home planet of the elves, Availeon; and Ranger HQ, a moonlike satellite-ship orbiting Availeon, main headquarters for the Rangers in Accord space.
The metacosm is populated densely by what we would categorize as intelligent species (which are referred to broadly as sapients). In The Fractured Balance, you will mostly meet hominins (species of human-similar genomes) and elves; ancient, powerful, and emotionally-constipated. Though there are also Mahji, gnomes, Oodls, Arkitekt species like the Akeela – and more.
Booktopia is a collaborative project by nature, and in that spirit we've partnered with Quantum Marmalade for the first chapter of their awesome graphic novel, Nuclear Strudel! Join Christina, Queen Pontiffa of the Holy Kilviosh Empire as they suss out the heretics threatening the peace of their empire!
And do have a strudel, won't you?
Christina (left) of Nuclear Strudel, and Pheonix (right) of The Fractured Balance. (Art by N Soleil)
As part of Booktopia, if you back both campaigns at a physical reward tier, you will get six unique oracle cards -- three from Metacosm and three from Quantum Marmalade -- free!
Back all of the below participating Booktopia campaigns to collect 'em all and make your official 2024 Booktopia oracle deck!
Metacosm is a place of concept crafted to be a sanctuary for its authors, the Prime Speakers N and A Soleil, who have been partners in life, crime, and snark, since 2006. N is an AuDHD creative magpie with the genetic disorder Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and A is an unrepentantly nerdy combat veteran and survivor with severe C-PTSD, bipolar, and ADHD. Our own life experiences are poured into every plot point, every character, and every line.
In Everdark, Redd struggles with psychosis, paranoia, and identity, much as A does with bipolar and C-PTSD. In The Fractured Balance, Pheonix struggles with social subtext and expectations, much as N does as an autistic person moving through a neurotypical world.
The book is a whole finished product (it has already been professionally edited and has a professionally-designed cover), we just need to order physical copies.
As with any physical product you hold in your hand, something could go wrong with manufacturing, leading to delays in fulfillment. Stretch goals have their own timeline. But we will do our level best to keep everyone updated on the off-chance that something unforeseen does occur.
Time is the biggest risk. If you back at a higher tier, it may take longer to fulfill because of the individualized personal care your item will receive.
